Out of the 31 months of pending salaries, the employees of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) in Meghalaya, will now get payment for just two months. As per the state government’s announcement, the salaries will be credited into their accounts within the upcoming week.
Regarding the overdue salaries, the Non-Gazetted Employees Association (NGEA) had issued a threat to initiate a strike if the overdue salaries of GHADC employees were not settled by 15 September. It was said that the strike would have essentially halted the operations of GHADC authorities in Meghalaya.
The decision was then made after GHADC’s chief executive member, Albinush Marak met with the Non-Gazetted Employees Association (NGEA) on 18 September. Following the meeting, it was announced that the pending salaries for two months will be paid in the coming week.
According to reports, the GHADC authorities in Meghalaya have informed the employees that the council lacks the financial resources to settle this substantial backlog of salaries. The authorities stated that their financial state is so poor that can’t even settle five months’ worth of overdue salaries.
The authorities also clarified that they are uncertain about when they will receive the funds needed to address the extensive backlog of 31 months. Hence, it wouldn’t be truthful to claim that they would be able to pay five months’ worth of salaries when it’s beyond their current capabilities.
Previously, Marak, had given assurance to NGEA that the outstanding employee salaries would be disbursed by September.